TC 19: Classified
by Tegan's Muse
Summary: An old friend visits Janet...  Yes I could have classed this as a cross over, I did not.


**The Tegan Chronicles**

**Classified**

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><p>AN: A slight XF Crossover peri Road Runners Season 8 in my universe Scully isn't pregnant…. My muses' world. My muses' rules. Also forget what you know about the creature in Road Runners. Enjoy!

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><p>Janet was sitting behind her desk talking to Tegan when the phone rang. "Excuse me."<p>

Tegan nodded and started to stand when Janet motioned for her to stay as she picked up the line. "Fraiser."

"Janet?"

"Yes?" The female voice on the other end sounded familiar but it couldn't be.

"It's Dana." She paused.

"Dana how are you? I thought I recognized your voice, but didn't dare hope it was you. How'd you get this number?"

"It took quite a bit of finagling, trust me."

"You don't sound well."

"I'm fine." She paused again.

Janet looked up at Tegan who had Shadow's head in her lap for an ear rub. "What can I do for you?"

"What are you doing at NORAD?"

"It's classified."

"Yeah, Mulder would have seen that answer coming."

"How is that sorry partner of yours doing?"

"He's gone."

"Gone?"

"I know you're going to think I'm crazy, but he was abducted by aliens."

Janet laughed nervously.

"You didn't say I was crazy." It was the exact opening Scully had been hoping for. "NORAD isn't just deep space telemetry is it?"

"It is."

"And a world renown virologist is working there because?"

"I pissed off the wrong General." Janet watched Tegan's head twist slightly. "Can we stop dancing now? You're almost as bad as my…"

"As your what?" Scully asked when Janet didn't finish the statement.

"My friend." Janet watched Tegan smile.

She knew Janet was talking about her, she also knew the line was secure but that wasn't saying much on a top secret military installation.

"Fine, let's cut to the chase. I'd love to see you and catch up; I'm in the BYU medical center hospital, in Provo. I'm hoping to be released today or tomorrow and I've got something I'd like your medical opinion on."

"Sure, I've got a guest room you're welcome to stay in. Are you ok?"

"Technically I'm fine." She shuddered.

"Do you need me to come get you? I can get someone to cover my shift."

"They let the chief medical officer take leave?"

"Believe it or not."

"My partner is here, he can drop me off at the airport. Can I call you back when I get the flight details?"

"Sure, let me give you my home number in case it's this evening."

"Well," Tegan yawned as she stood up and stretched when Janet hung up the phone. "I should be getting back to my lab."

"Don't you want to know what that was all about?"

"Nope, unless you want to tell me."

"I do." Janet started by telling Tegan that she knew Scully from residency and ended with the phone call.

It was a good thing Tegan wasn't the jealous type, since Janet just cancelled their dinner plans in favor of an evening alone with an old friend. It really didn't bother her which was kind of a surprise. Did that mean that she trusted Janet that much? Or was it that technically they wouldn't be alone because Cassie would be there? She walked into her lab to see Sam coming out. "Hey?"

"Hey, I was just looking for you. Have you eaten lunch yet?"

Tegan looked at her watch. "No."

"I hear they've got roast beef and it's going fast."

"Then we'd better get down there, huh?" She looked down at Shadow. "Change of plans boy, seems to be the theme of the day."

"What?" Sam questioned.

"Nothing." Tegan shrugged.

"Hello?" Tegan picked up her ringing phone around five thirty that evening.

"Hey," Janet spoke softly. "Sorry I ditched you."

"Eh, it's ok." Tegan smiled lightly. "Did she make it in alright?"

"She did. Have you eaten yet?"

Tegan thought for a second.

"I'll take that as a no. I need a huge favor. I'll pay you back by feeding you."

"You know you don't need to bribe me. What do you need?"

"Could you come over and bring Shadow?"

"Now?"

"Yeah, I'm fixing dinner and I want you to look at something."

"Ok, I'm on my way." Her curiosity was peaked by the urgency in Janet's voice.

When Tegan showed up on Janet's doorstep she was wearing a pair of faded Lees and a white t-shirt with an unbuttoned olive green cotton oxford over it. Janet opened the door to find her very own CK poster child standing there. "Hey."

"Hey?" Tegan looked around nervously and glanced down at shadow who seemed un-phased.

"You ok?"

"I thought I felt a presence."

"You may." Janet nodded. "But if it is, it's dead. Come on in, you'll see what I mean later."

Tegan followed Janet down the hall and into the dinning room where Scully looked up inquisitively at her.

"Dana this is my friend I was telling you about Tegan." Janet looked back at Tegan. "Tegan this is Dana Scully, she's an FBI agent and medical doctor."

Tegan reached out and shook her hand before glancing at Janet and giving a quick negative shake of her head.

"I know you from somewhere." Scully pondered aloud.

Tegan shrugged with her eyebrows.

"Did you know Paige Monroe, she was assigned to headquarters and they were roommates when Tegan was in DC." Janet threw out.

"Our paths crossed on occasion but I really didn't know her outside of work." Scully's face lit up and she held a finger in the air. "You're that genius that gave a series of lectures at Quantico about five years ago right?"

"I wouldn't say genius, but that was me."

"Multiple degrees including your MD before you turned twenty-five, I'd call that genius."

Tegan thought she was younger than that when she got her MD but didn't bother to point it out, instead she blushed lightly.

"So?" Tegan looked around at the set table with salad and lemonade already out. "What's for dinner? Smells like lasagna."

"Baked ziti, I just need to toast the garlic bread and it'll be done."

Tegan nodded.

"Are you hungry?"

Tegan gave a one shouldered shrug and turned to Scully. "So what brings you to our lovely town?"

"I'm taking some time off."

"Oh." Tegan nodded. "I get that occasionally."

"Time off?" The corner of Scully's mouth pulled up slightly. She couldn't help but think Tegan was cute which was odd because she usually didn't go for redheads in either sex.

"Only when she's forced to take it." Janet slid the garlic bread out from under the broiler.

"Do you need help?" Tegan offered.

"No, I've got it."

Tegan was on edge, and Scully wasn't helping to keep her curious cat alive. She looked to Shadow who'd curled up in the corner out of the way and was dozing.

Scully followed her gaze. "He's really well behaved."

"Yeah, he came that way." She wished someone would tell her why she felt the presence of a Gou'ald no matter how weak it was. "Where's Cass?"

"She's staying with Sam tonight."

"Oh." She wondered if Sam or Cassie would pick up on it with their naquada levels being lower than hers. "So you and Janet?"

"We did our residency together."

"That's right." Tegan remembered now. "So why the FBI?"

Scully moved so Janet could bring the food in. "Why the Air Force?"

"I wanted to become a fighter pilot."

"So why didn't you?"

"I did."

"Ah, the genius thing again."

Tegan blushed and shook her head. "More like a bored adrenaline junkie."

Dana had taken a few bites when she thanked the cook. "Dinner is delicious."

"Yes, it's all really good." Tegan pushed the food around her plate. She couldn't remember if she'd been hungry before she'd felt the presence. She heard Janet clear her throat as she pulled her napkin out of her lap and pressed it to the side of her nose.

"If you'll excuse me." Tegan pushed her chair back as Scully nodded, her concern written plainly across her features.

"Are you ok?" Janet queried as Scully watched Tegan head toward the bathroom.

"Just thinking about something."

"Your cancer?"

Scully nodded. "So you said you two are friends?"

"Yes." Janet wanted to tell her everything, but she hadn't really talked to Dana since residency aside from occasional emails. They'd been best friends, but people change and she was afraid if Scully wasn't as open as she once was both her and Tegan's careers could be in the toilet. "We've worked together for three years. She's hard headed and guarded a lot of the time."

"A lot like you."

Janet shook her head. "That was you, and if you can believe it she's actually worse than you."

"I think my ears are burning." Tegan came back to the table.

Janet smiled. "We were just talking about hard headed patients and co-workers."

"Are you having bloody noses often?" Dana asked.

"Not really, no."

Dana looked at Janet and back to Tegan. "I had an inoperable tumor what's called a nasopharyngeal mass. It's a small growth between the superior conchea and the sinoidal sinus."

"Yeah," Tegan sighed. "Basically inoperable and statistically if it pushes into the brain, which it often does, there is about zero chance of survival."

"Right, one of my most prominent symptoms was a recurrent bloody nose."

"You said you had," Tegan inquired further.

"Long story short, shadow government."

"Has anyone ever told you, you're paranoid?"

"No, not me, but they did call my old partner Spooky."

"And where's this partner of yours now?"

"Presumably abducted by aliens."

"And you believe this?" Tegan glanced at Janet.

"I've seen things in my career that I can't explain." Dana tucked an errant strand of red hair behind her ear and glanced at Janet who nodded. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair, a combination of pain and not wanting to remember the experience. "Janet called you over so I could tell you what happened on my last case."

"I'm all ears."

"Maybe we should wait until you're done eating?"

"I'm done." Tegan pushed her plate back ignoring Janet's disproving look knowing she wouldn't make a scene in front of her guest. "Not that it would matter; I've got a cast iron stomach."

Dana nodded, most doctors did. "I should probably preface this by telling you that I work in a unit of the FBI called the x-files. Most of the cases involve the paranormal."

"Ghosts and aliens?" Tegan laughed lightly.

"Ghosts, aliens, astral projection, psychics, among other things."

Tegan didn't think Dana looked like a believer. "You actually believe in those things?"

"Like I said, I've seen things, things that I can't explain."

"Alright." Tegan laid off the 'you're crazier than the cat lady on the Simpson's' routine.

"My latest case took me to Juab County, Utah. The local coroner wanted a consultation on a murder victim... a man who was found beaten to death in the  
>desert. Apparently, his corpse showed some anomalous characteristics.<p>

"I ended up stopping and checking out a probable crime scene, near an old, perhaps abandoned bus stop on a little used highway in the middle of the desert. There was what appeared to be a blood stain in the dirt amid several different footprints and what looked like a cane or crutch marks. There was a rock nearby with this cloudy white gooey substance on it."

"Snot," Tegan thought aloud. "Sorry, just speculating."

"Anyway, I called Agent Doggett my partner asked him to pull a file about an unsolved murder from several years back where there were some glycoproteins found at the crime scene. Of course it's just my luck there's no service in the middle of no where and I have to call from the pay phone at the bus stop.

"A bus passes and I, uh, finish up the conversation and head down the road turning off where I'd just seen the bus go. When I reach a sleepy little town I stop to check my map and ask about the bus. The attendant has no clue about the bus, and denies seeing it pass. He's also out of gas, but because he'd feel bad if I got stranded he runs out back and returns with a gas can. Needless to say a few miles down the road my rental sputters to a stop, and I hike back to the gas station where I find he's put water in my tank.

"Of course he denies knowing it had water in it. Says it must have rained, because they just get so much rain in the desert. I ask to use a phone and he says he doesn't have one, but tells me who does." She looks at her watch. "Let's see, if I can make this story shorter without cutting out the important details. The phone doesn't work, I tried to get other people in the town to talk to me and they just went inside and read their little black books. I'm not convinced they were bibles.

"Oh somehow the gas guy finds out I'm a medical doctor, he had a cut on his hand or something. I think that's why he put the water in my tank. Its 18 miles to the state road and another 20 to the next town, so I stay the night hoping the phone will work in the morning. Instead I'm awoken to the old man whose phone still doesn't work because there's an emergency."

Tegan nodded, "But of course."

"They've got this young guy who's seizing and has this horrible open wound in his back. The whole town is weird, and the old man and a woman are hovering. I ask them to leave, tell them the kid needs rest. When they leave I see something moving along his spine."

Tegan shivered and looked at Janet as Scully continued.

"I manage to get a part of it, but it just ripped and I pulled out a piece of quivering flesh. It's a gray opaque mass."

Tegan shook her head, it sounded like an immature Gou'ald symbiote.

"I tell him I'm going for help and because he's scared I give him my gun. I don't even want to think about all the mistakes I made on this case. I'm apprehended when I find the bus I'd seen earlier hidden in a big barn like structure and they beat the crap out the young guy and pull out this giant slimy creature, for lack of a better description. They tell me how great it's going to be, that I'm the chosen one, and then that creature burrows into my back." Scully lightly touched the bandage on her lower back, her stomach churning. "They tied me face down spread eagle to a bed, and that's where I stayed for the next several hours until my partner showed up, and they gagged me. I managed to kick over an oil lamp but that didn't do much to draw attention. But somehow Doggett found me; we managed to escape to the bus, where I told him he had to get it out of me. It was moving toward my brain, he managed to cut it out at my neck and when he pulled it out he threw it on the ground and shot it."

"That's some story." Tegan commented locking her eyes with Scully. "You don't happen to have this 'creature' do you?"

Scully wasn't sure if the fluctuation on the word creature was just the tone of question, or if it was that of doubt. She wondered if Tegan believed her at all or thought it was all part of an elaborate dream. "I do, upstairs with my stuff. But like I said it's not pretty, not after Agent Doggett emptied his entire clip in it."

"I'd still like to see it if you don't mind?"

"Not at all."

Dana returned from upstairs with a specimen jar in her hand. Tegan looked over as Shadow stirred; he looked at the jar and then lay his head back down. She held her hand out and took the jar from Scully. She took a deep breath, this was definitely what she'd been picking up on, but it looked different. It wasn't the right color and there wasn't much left to identify it as anything without lab analysis.

"Believe me now?"

"It's not that I didn't believe you." Tegan watched Scully gingerly slide back into her seat. "Would it be possible for me to borrow this? I'd like to take a closer look at it in my lab tomorrow."

"Sure."

"Would you like some coffee?" Janet asked Dana.

"Maybe later."

"You should take something for the pain." Tegan offered.

She looked at Tegan curiously for a second before denying it. "I'm not in pain."

"If you say so. Can I…" Tegan pointed to her back.

"Yeah." Dana turned sideways on the chair and lifted her shirt.

"Interesting tattoo." Tegan looked at the Ouroboros on Scully's lower back and ran her tongue along her lower lip as she moved her fingers to the edge of the tape.

"Interesting story to go with it." Scully felt a slight jolt as Tegan's fingers touched her. She was surprised at Tegan's gentle touch. She wasn't sure why except she knew Tegan didn't do too much in the way of patient care. That and she had the feeling Tegan had seen her share of field wounds, and combat medicine was almost a whole other ball game. "I'll have to tell you about it some time."

"How often are you changing the dressing?" Tegan glanced at Janet, the wound itself looked pretty nasty but there wasn't any purulent drainage.

"Once a day, the nurse changed it this morning before I was discharged."

"Are you on antibiotics?"

"No, does it look infected?" Dana looked at Janet knowing she could read her better.

"No," Janet reassured.

"And it's been how long?"

"A week."

"It looks pretty good all things considered. Healing like it should." Tegan carefully re-dressed the wound with a clean bandage before gently pulling Scully's shirt down.

"So, if you figure out what that thing is am I going to get the whole classified bull crap spoon fed to me?" Scully pointed the question to Tegan wondering why she hadn't noticed the shocking green irises before, or maybe that had been part of the initial attraction. Something shifted in her eyes and Dana felt a brief pang of guilt for her sharp tongue.

"I really… until I know what it is I can't tell you anything."

"Yeah." She sarcastically sighed. "I know the drill."

"I'll do what I can," Tegan promised and somehow Scully knew she could trust her to do just that. "I hate to change your dressing and run, but I should get out of here and let you two catch up about non-creature related stuff."

"Are you going home?"

Scully thought it was a strange question to ask.

"No, I'm going to stay on base tonight."

"I don't…"

"I won't," Tegan interrupted Janet.

* * *

><p>"Hey." Janet walked into Tegan's lab a few minutes after eight to find Tegan sitting behind the desk with the specimen jar over on the counter. "What'd you find?"<p>

"I just got in." Tegan smiled. "I haven't even started on it."

"What are your thoughts?"

"I'm pretty sure it's a dead symbiote, but I won't know more until I run an analysis and DNA profile."

"Well, I let you get to it." Janet grinned.

"Yeah thanks." Tegan rubbed her temple.

"You ok?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you ok?" Janet asked again.

Tegan nodded, and then pointed to the specimen. "I should get started."

"My day doesn't look too bad so if you need help."

"Sam offered her services as well."

"Alright."

"Where's Tegan?" Janet asked when she joined Sam in the mess hall at lunch time. "She wasn't in her lab and I figured she'd be here."

"She grabbed a sandwich and headed to her quarters." Sam shoved a spoonful of mashed potatoes in her mouth and swallowed. "She said she'd meet me back in the lab in an hour."

Janet stood back up.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"Mind watching it for me 'til I get back?"

"Sure but it's going to be cold."

"Microwave." Janet pointed as she walked away.

"Yeah?" Tegan called from her bunk, when she heard the soft knocking.

"It's Janet, can I come in?"

"Yeah." Tegan's quarters were dimly lit and she was lying on her back.

"You ok?" Janet looked at the turkey sandwich lying on the nightstand. It was missing about four bites.

"Yeah, just tired."

"Headache?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"You threw a shirt over your lamp to block the light."

Tegan smiled lightly. "It's not that bad."

Janet looked back at the nightstand. "Have you taken anything for it?"

"Excedrin, I figured I could use the caffeine boost to finish setting up that DNA sample."

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Janet offered.

"Yeah, you can stop worrying. It's just a headache. I didn't sleep the best last night, I'm sure it's from that."

"Are you going to finish…?" Janet pointed at the sandwich.

"Yeah I am."

"Alright, I'm going to head back to the mess hall, Sam's guarding my food."

"Hey," Janet greeted as she walked into the lab at three. "How's the head?"

"Better." Tegan gasped and started massaging her right hand; she looked up at Janet as she worked the knot out. "Cramp from prepping the samples."

Janet nodded. "Are you going to get out of here on time?"

Tegan glanced at the clock as she continued to massage her hand. "Yeah, I should I'm meeting with General Hammond in thirty and then I'm done for the day."

"I just checked the schedule and SG8 is out on a training mission so they've got two extra bodies. They're due back at sixteen hundred hours. I thought I'd stay over and help Warner get their posts done. I was wondering if you'd mind stopping by the house and letting Dana know I'll be an hour or so late."

"Sure, I don't mind." Tegan stopped rubbing her hand.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

* * *

><p>"Hi?" Dana opened the door a small smile pulling at her lips.<p>

Tegan returned the smile. She'd changed out of her uniform on base and was wearing a pair of hip hugging Lees and a black button down. She looked down at Scully's bare feet, not even noticing how her white t-shirt accented her chest. "I just stopped by to let you know Janet's going to be about an hour late."

"Do you want to come in?" Dana looked down at Shadow who had been sitting patiently at Tegan's clog covered feet. He didn't wait for a response before he stood and pushed his way past the petite redhead.

"Sorry," Tegan apologized for him. "I guess he thinks you could use the company."

"Actually;" She stepped back. "I could use some."

"In that case…" Tegan walked in leading the way to the living room where Shadow had already made himself comfortable on a floor pillow.

Scully returned to the chair she'd vacated when the door bell rang and Tegan took the end of the couch siding her shoes under the coffee table.

"Were you able to find out anything about that creature?"

"I should be able to get it back to you tomorrow. There are just a few more tests I want to run."

"I can dance with the best of them, Major."

Tegan thought she'd either done her homework or Janet had mentioned her rank. She ignored the thought and played it cool. "Excuse me?"

"You didn't answer my question."

"No, I didn't," Tegan referred to not answering her question. "I'm afraid what I do is classified…"

"I'm tired of getting the same old cock and bull story from everyone." Scully interrupted. "I entrusted you with that specimen because I thought you would handle it differently."

"If you would allow me to finish." Tegan took a breath. "I'm in the process of trying to get you clearance; I'm also still running tests so I have nothing definitive except its carbon based."

"Sorry."

Tegan grinned.

"What?"

"You don't strike me as the type of person who apologizes, that's all."

"I don't usually have anything to apologize for."

"Of course not."

"So, what's the story between you and Janet?" Dana segued into a different topic.

"Hmmm?" Tegan lifted her brow.

Scully wasn't sure if she hadn't understood the question, hadn't heard it, or was stalling for an answer. "You and Janet; what's the story between you two?"

"Friends," Tegan answered without hesitation.

Scully lifted a discerning brow while her tongue played over her left upper incisor in thought.

Tegan looked down and started massaging her left calf. "So you never answered my question last night, why the FBI?"

"My parents took it as rebellion, I guess in a way it was. But really I just wanted to do something different. I love medicine, don't get me wrong. But there's something intriguing about being able to cut open a body and find out why that person died, even that wasn't enough, I wanted to be able to do it all; to get out there and track down the people responsible, to find closure for the person who was lying on that slab."

Tegan grimaced and stretched her leg.

"You ok?"

"Leg cramp," Tegan responded while rotating her ankle. "How long are you going to be staying here?"

"I'm not sure yet." Dana reached for her ringing cell phone. "Sorry I need to take this."

Tegan nodded as Dana stood up and moved toward the kitchen.

"Scully… I don't know Agent Doggett… I'm not sure I am… Look Mulder's not coming back, I have to accept that and move on with my life… I don't know that I am… I'll let you know what I decide."

When she came back into the living room Tegan was leaning forward with her elbows on her knees, her head cradled in her hands, and her eyes closed as pain danced across her features. Shadow was sitting there whining, fully intent on his owner.

"Tegan?"

"I'm fine." Her response was curt and she kept her eyes closed for a few seconds longer hiding her glowing eyes. When she finally looked up Dana was watching her with intrigue. "Sorry, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" She asked as Tegan stroked Shadow's head.

Tegan nodded and stood up as Shadow whined again. "Excuse me."

For a second Scully thought she was getting up to let Shadow out, but then she saw the color drain from her face and before she could react Tegan's body was plummeting to the floor. A sickening thud resounded as her head connected with the corner of the coffee table.

"Shit!" Scully was immediately at her side pushing the table out of the way.

"I'm fine," Tegan groaned feeling worried hands messing with her forehead.

Scully had grabbed the closest thing she could to stop the bleeding which had been Kleenex. "You're bleeding like a stuck pig, now lay still."

"It's nothing." Tegan grabbed Scully's free hand as she tried to check her pulse. "I'm fine."

"Yeah, because I always pass out and whack my head open when I'm fine."

"I said I'm fine," Tegan ground out, as if that would make Scully believe her.

"Would you give me my hand back so I can assess the gash in your head?"

Tegan let go of her hand as she heard Janet clear her throat from the entry way to the living room. "What's going on?"

"She passed out and hit her head on the coffee table." Scully pulled the Kleenex back. "And she won't let me check her pulse."

Janet sighed. "How long was she out?"

"Long enough to hit the floor." Tegan winced as Scully pressed a clean handful of Kleenex to her head.

"You're still bleeding."

"It's a head wound, it's going to bleed."

"Was she grumpy before she passed out?" Janet moved into Tegan's line of vision.

Dana's lips pressed into a thoughtful line as she looked up at Janet who was still in her Air Force uniform. "No, but she did look like she was in pain just beforehand, and had complained of muscles cramps earlier."

"Hand again?" Janet crouched to look at her head wound.

"Legs."

"Hey, what's going on?" Cassie walked in with her back pack thrown over one shoulder and her soccer cleats over the other. "Did she pass out again?"

"Again?" Scully questioned.

"Cassandra can you get me an IV set and one of the IV bags from the right side of the closet?" Janet looked over her shoulder at the teen.

"The yellow one?"

"I haven't been drinking; I don't need a banana bag." Tegan rolled her eyes.

"No, the other one."

"This happens frequently?" Dana probed again.

Janet looked over at Scully. "I'm going to need to put a couple sutures in, do you mind starting the IV?"

"No." She held her hand out and took the bag and supplies from Cassie. "D5 normal saline with twenty milliequivilants potassium?"

Janet nodded. "Do you want Lidocaine?"

"I don't need…"

"It's in your hairline and it's deep," Janet interrupted. "Now yes or no to the Lidocaine?"

"No."

Scully looked at her like she'd lost her mind as she held up the tourniquet. "Which one?"

"Left." Tegan offered her arm to her while Janet started cleaning the cut on her head.

"If you don't need anything else, I'm going to go start on my homework," Cassie announced.

"Look we just found another way to get Cass to do her homework," Tegan joked.

"Not funny," Janet admonished. "No Cassandra, I think we've got it from here."

"You're going to feel a stick," Scully forewarned.

"Did you say prick?" Tegan asked as Cassie headed for the den.

"Tegan." Janet shook her head.

"I don't know why you're starting an IV, I'm going home."

"No you're not." Both Janet and Scully spoke in unison.

"Jinx, you both owe me dinner, not to mention that's just plain scary."

"You're staying here where I can keep an eye on you."

"I…"

"Don't," Janet cut her off with one word.

"There." Dana admired her handiwork after securing the last piece of tape over the IV on the back of Tegan's hand.

"Sew me up doc, so I can get off the floor, please."

"Did you eat lunch?" Janet fished her silk sutures out of her bag.

"You saw what I had."

"Yes, but did you finish it?"

"All of it except for part of the crust that was hard."

Janet nodded grateful Tegan didn't just gloss it over with a simple yes, and for eating like she'd said she would.

"In answer to your unasked question, yes I couldn't help it."

Janet looked at Scully. "Was she doing anything strange before she passed out?"

"She had her eyes closed and Shadow was whining."

"Ouch!"

Janet looked apologetically at Tegan. "You're the one who opted against Lidocaine."

"I know." Tegan didn't pull away as Scully slid her fingers around her wrist finding her pulse point.

"Sixty and regular." She continued to hold her wrist as Janet put in the last suture.

"See normal, I should be able to go home."

"You do remember who's working this evening."

"Warner would let me go home."

"Not after the hell he caught the last time. Besides I want to run a second liter in after this one."

"You think her potassium's low?" Scully was sure she wasn't dehydrated.

"All done." Janet taped a small two-by-two over the area as best she could.

"Patient doctor confidentiality."

"But you're the patient." Dana watched her curiously before standing up almost simultaneously with Janet. "Classified, or does the military even know?"

"All I can say is the indications point to hypokalemia and I concur with Janet's course of treatment."

"On or off the record?"

"On." Tegan pushed her self up onto the couch. "Everything else is…"

"Classified." Scully finished.

"Exactly."

"I'm going to go change," Janet spoke up. "Think about what you want to eat and I'll go out and get it."

* * *

><p>"How are you feeling?" Cassie plopped down on the couch beside Tegan while Janet made a run for Chinese food.<p>

"Shhhh." She winked. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm tired."

Cassie dropped her jaw in mock horror as Dana curiously watched the interaction from her perch in the chair.

"Did you finish your homework?" Tegan changed the subject.

"Yup, except I should do a little more reading before bed."

"No more Moby Dick I hope."

"What's wrong with Moby Dick?" Scully asked.

"Nothing." Tegan shook her head.

"Sorry, it's just my dad called me Starbuck and he was my Ahab." She wondered what had prompted her to share that piece of information so openly.

"Was?" Tegan shook her head before quickly adding. "I'm sorry."

"It's been over seven years, its ok."

"And your mom?"

"She lives not far from me in Georgetown."

Tegan nodded while picking at the tape around her IV.

"Stop that." Cassie pulled Tegan's hand back.

"I wasn't pulling it off."

"What about your parents?" Scully thought it was a simple enough question.

Tegan shrugged. "Long story."

Scully sensed she didn't want to talk about it and let it drop.

Tegan lifted the ice pack off her head and handed it to Cassie. "I'm going to the bathroom."

Scully started to stand.

"I'm not going to kiss the floor again. I can manage on my own." She smiled lightly.

"Does she do that a lot?" Scully asked when Tegan had left the room.

"Pass out or act like everything is always fine?" Cassie returned with a question.

"Both."

"She's pretty tough." Cassie grinned.

"Yeah I kind of gathered that."

Janet picked up Tegan's half eaten dinner off her lap after she'd dozed off on the couch.

"Looks like we're really entertaining," Cassie laughed. "Do you want me to clean up?"

"No, I'll get it."

"Then I'm going to go on to bed." Cassie stood up. "I need to do some reading."

"Good night Cassandra." Dana picked up her drink.

"See you in the morning." Janet called after her as she gently slid her fingers to the pulse point on Tegan's wrist.

"Normal?" Scully asked.

Janet nodded as Tegan pulled away even in her sleep.

Dana followed Janet into the kitchen so they could talk without waking Tegan.

"How's your back feeling?" Janet turned on the coffee maker.

"Tender, but I'll be fine."

"You should take something for the pain."

"I'm capable of taking care of myself," Scully reminded.

Janet thought how much she'd just sounded like Tegan. "I'm sorry it's just habit."

"I know. I'm probably just as bad. I've been taking care of Mulder for the past eight years."

"So when are you due back at work?" Not that I'm rushing you or anything," Janet added.

"I'm not. I've got over three weeks of vacation and I'm taking it and resigning."

"Really?" Janet's interest was piqued.

"I'm tired of my life always being put on hold, wait what life?" She rolled her eyes. "I've spent too many years living from case to case; hopping out of bed at two am to go chase things that go bump in the night and try and uncover government conspiracies. It's affected my life for too long, I'm ready to settle down."

Janet nodded as she pulled two mugs from the cabinet. "You're welcome to stay here as long as you want."

"Thanks, you're the first person I've told." Dana took a mug of coffee from Janet's out stretched hand and reached for the sugar bowl.

"Cream?"

Scully nodded.

"So are you looking at hospital or private practice?"

"I think a private practice would be too boring; the difference between greyhound and turtle races." She sat down at the table.

Janet smiled as she joined her.

"What?"

"What, what?" Janet echoed.

"You've got that up to something look you get."

"Me?"

"Yes you." Dana blew across her coffee to cool it. "It's the same look you got just before you talked me into breaking into the morgue to re-suture that quad bypass that never made it off the surgical table during residency."

"We didn't break into the morgue. It was unlocked. And as I remember, I didn't have to ask you twice."

"You know," Dana said thoughtfully, "I think it's your fault I decided to join the FBI and do the role of medical examiner slash forensic scientist."

"That's Tegan's main focus, except she's more research pathologist than forensic."

"How do you keep up with all her degrees?"

"I don't."

"Are you talking about me again?" Tegan stood in the doorway and stretched.

"Only good things." Janet smiled. "How are you feeling?"

Tegan yawned. "Good enough to forego the second IV."

Janet shook her head no.

"I'm going to be up all night peeing like a race horse," Tegan complained.

"I can cath you," Janet offered cruelly.

"No."

"Well, don't say I didn't offer."

"Where's Tegan?" Janet's brow furrowed when she found Scully sitting alone with a mug of coffee in the living room the following morning.

"She drew my blood and said to tell you she'd see you on base."

"She drew your blood? She'd better not being trying to run lytes on you and pass them off as hers," Janet grumbled.

"She said something about proteins chains? Besides she wouldn't really do that, would she?"

"I wouldn't put it past her."

* * *

><p>"Dr. Frasier."<p>

"Yes?" Janet turned to the medic whom just called her name.

"Major Kiser asked me to give these to you when you came in."

"Who drew these?" Janet perused the lab report.

"I did."

"Thank you Sergeant."

"Hey-a." At nine-thirty Tegan tapped Janet's open office door with the specimen jar holding the remains of Scully's creature.

"Hey?" Janet looked up.

"We've been called out on a mission to help the Tok'ra rescue an operative they believe has been compromised. We leave in an hour. General Hammond is letting our last post mission exams stand for our pre-mission ones, but I told him I needed to check with you on some labs from this morning." She pursed her lips to the side. "Did you get them back?"

"I did. You're back within normal limits."

"Good." Tegan smiled. "So, can I let him know I'm cleared to jump?"  
><em><br>Was she actually asking?_ Janet blinked. "Um – yes."

"Good." Tegan nodded and held out the specimen jar. "Can you return this to Dr. Scully for me?"

"What did you find?" Janet reached out took the proffered jar looking at it's contents as a shiver slid down her spine.

"Tell her I was called away before I could finish and I'll call her when I get back and know more."

"Don't you have the preliminary reports back?"

"I do, but I don't want you to have to lie to her, and I really haven't had a chance to look at them in depth."

"Alright." Janet let it go even though she was curious as to the results. She sat the jar on her desk and looked back up at Tegan.

"I should get going."

"Be careful."

"I always am." She gave Janet her signature mischievous grin and turned and walked out.


End file.
